|
By
EWAN KENNEDY
10 May 2010
Few,
if any, car marques understand their customers better than does
Aston Martin. As the iconic British marque closes on its 100th
anniversary, the enthusiasts who run the company are extremely
aware of the rising heat in the competition at the top end of the
sportscar market. So they’re doing everything possible to run at
the front of the automotive pack comprised of Italian, German and
British sportscar builders.
That was amply brought home to us after a few hundred fascinating
kilometres in an Aston that's the subject of this week’s road
test – the gorgeous looking DBS Volante V12 convertible.
Following our attendance at a glittering social function to
celebrate the launch of the new four-door Aston Martin Rapide, we
were invited to spend a few of days in the Volante. Needless to
say, we grabbed the chance, picked up the DBS from Sunshine Aston
Martin on the Gold Coast, powered down the folding soft-top and
set off on some of our favourite driving roads.
Incidentally, the roof mechanism only requires 14 seconds to go
from fully open to fully closed, and can be operated at speeds of
up to 48 km/h. So it's possible to enjoy the Volante with an open
top even when the weather looks threatening, knowing you can have
a closed car at a moment’s notice.
We couldn’t resist the chance to cruise the Aston up and down
the upmarket cafe/boutique Tedder Avenue strip as we showed off
the roof. But this Aston– any Aston – is far more than an
eye-catching cruiser. There's plenty of brutal sports machine
under your control when the need for speed takes your fancy.
Speed that is provided by 12 cylinders producing some 510
horsepower at 6500 rpm. Torque is there the moment you touch the
throttle, peaking at 570 Newton metres, but there at virtually any
revs and offering instant response. The sort of response
guaranteed to satisfy the most demanding of drivers.
Then there's the sound of the V12 engine when you demand
everything from it. The muffler system that had previously kept
the engine’s sound to politically correct levels is suddenly
bypassed and the full noise from the big 6.0-litre powerplant
blasts into the air. To get the best effect power down the
soft-top, drive into a nice long tunnel, slow to let the traffic
in front clear, then thump that right pedal right to the metal.
You will still be smiling this time next week!
Of course, there's more to high performance than simply the
engine. The six-speed automatic transmission offers super-sharp
shifts and is chiefly controlled by F1 style paddles behind the
steering wheel. Interestingly, the everyday shift controls –
Park, Reverse, Neutral and Drive – are operated by push buttons
on the centre section of the dashboard, where they flank the
ignition key.
Which brings us to the superb cabin of the DBS Volante; mixing
pure elegance and hard-edged performance is an all but almost
impossible task, yet the engineers and stylists at Aston Martin
have executed it perfectly.
The quality of design and materials is simply stunning. The
leathers look right, feel soft and inviting, which is hardly a
surprise when you learn the interior is carefully crafted by
Scottish automotive specialist Bridge of Weir Leather. The cows
that will one day become leather are carefully tended so their
hides are unmarked. Nine hides are required for the complete DBS
Volante trim. Craftsmen and women do all the cutting by hand and
their hand-done stitching is to the highest standard.
And another thing – if something inside an Aston Martin looks
like wood, it is wood; if it has the appearance of metal, then it
is metal. Too many other marques trims costs by using plastic with
a thin timber or metal veneer, or even use plastic dummied up to
look like the real thing.
Entertainment comes from a stunning Bang & Olufsen audio
system that costs more than some complete new cars... It sounds as
good as a high-quality home system and we were impressed that the
B&O acoustics, complemented by the aerodynamic body shape of
the Volante, let us enjoy our favourite CDs with the roof down
when the speedo was registering on the high side of 100 km/h.
Accommodation is provided for two pampered occupants in the front,
with a pair of rather small occasional seats in the back. Boot
space isn't particularly generous, though that's only to be
expected in a low-slung car with a complex folding roof that has
to be stowed somewhere.
On the downside (crook pun intended!), ‘our’ low-slung DBS
Volante rubbed the underside of its long, sleek nose on a gutter
crossing that happily accommodated a Jaguar XK R we road tested a
couple of weeks back. This could cause problems if you want to use
the Aston as everyday transport. Then again, those with around
$570,000 to put an Aston Martin on the road are likely to own
another car (or three) for mundane daily driving.
All-in-all we had a delightful couple of days experiencing life
behind the wheel of a purebred British sportscar. And were most
disappointed when we took it back to discover that it had just
been sold and was about to be trucked south to its fortunate new
owner.
AT A GLANCE
FEATURES
ABS Brakes: Standard
Air Conditioning: Standard
Automatic Transmission:
CD Player: Standard
Central Locking: Standard
Cruise Control: Standard
Dual Front Airbags: Standard
Front Side Airbags: Standard
Stability Control: Standard
Traction Control: Standard
SPECIFICATIONS (Aston Martin DBS Volante 5.9-litre two-door
convertible)
ENGINE:
Capacity: 5.935 litres
Configuration: V12
Head Design: DOHC, four valves per cylinder
Compression Ratio: 10.9:1
Bore/Stroke: 89.0 mm x 79.5 mm
Maximum Power: 380 kW @ 6500 rpm
Maximum Torque: 570 Nm @ 5750 rpm
DRIVELINE:
Driven Wheels: Rear
Manual Transmission: Six-speed
Automatic Transmission: Six-speed
Final Drive Ratio: 3.71:1
DIMENSIONS, WEIGHT AND CAPACITIES:
Length: 4721 mm
Wheelbase: 2740 mm
Width: 1280 mm
Height: 1520 mm
Turning Circle: Not available
Kerb Mass: 1810 kg
Fuel Tank Capacity: 78 litres
Towing Ability: Not available
SUSPENSION AND BRAKES:
Front Suspension: Independent, double wishbone, anti-dive, coil
springs, anti-roll bar
Rear Suspension: Independent, double wishbone, anti-squat,
anti-lift, coil springs, anti-roll bar
Front Brakes: Ventilated disc
Rear Brakes: Ventilated disc
PERFORMANCE:
0-100 km/h: 4.3 seconds
FUEL CONSUMPTION:
Type:
Petrol 95RON
Combined
Cycle (ADR 81/01): 15.5 L/100km
GREEN VEHICLE GUIDE RATINGS:
Greenhouse Rating: 2/10
Air Pollution Rating: 6.5/10
STANDARD WARRANTY:
Three
years/unlimited km
© Copyright
Marque Publishing Company
|
|
